Read Between the Lines
by Nioma Maxwell
Summary: Two new Kunoichi show up at Konohagakure asking for a transfer. Why? No one knows. All Naruto and Sasuke can figure out is it has something to do with why they are so close, and seeing them together brings out feelings in each other they were either unaware of, or were trying to hide. SasuNaru, NaruSasu, OCOC, maybe others.
1. Hands Squeezed Tightly

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or it's characters, however, Akashi Natsu and Ibuki Mara(my OCs) are mine.

Note: This story has homosexual and homoromantic, along with other LGBT+ relationships, as the primary focus of this story. There will be no sex, though. This will be mainly SNS(SasuNaruSasu) and OCxOC centric.

Hands Squeezed Tightly

* * *

Kakashi knew that when he took on the role of Hokage he would get some strange and out of the ordinary requests. Seeing the two kunoichi before him, wearing Rivers Forehead protectors, and holding hands, he knew this wasn't an ordinary request.

"So let me get this straight…" He said, holding a scroll with the signature of the Tanigakura Leader's signature before him, looking back at the two girls. "You want to transfer to Konoha?"

Both girls nodded solemnly. He could see hardship and anguish in their eyes. They were a unique sight, besides them squeezing hands tightly like their lives depended on each other, he wasn't used to seeing two very cute, adorable girls in a situation like this.

One girl, the shorter of the two, had bright orange hair that could put Naruto's whole outfit to shame, pulled back in a ponytail with long strands hanging beside her delicate face. She had a contrasting hard expression, with very determined gold eyes set with Kakashi's gaze. She wore her forehead protector on her forehead, and the intensity she exuded reminded him of the blonde he used to guide. She was modestly dressed, her sleeveless top covered by a bronze chest plate, only covering her breasts. Her legs were covered in black capris with a copper colored shirt over, and regular sandlewear. She had brown gauntlets on her left arm, and a bronze plate covering the knuckles and wrist. Her other arm had strange markings going up the side, and he sensed they were a type of jutsu or technique she could perform, since she didn't appear to have any weapons.

The other girl, slightly taller, held a softer, more worried expression, though her stance was anything but timid. She reminded Kakashi of Sasuke, only in looks, as she sported a familiar color pattern of blue, white, and black. Her hair was short, barely reaching the base of her neck in layers. She wore her forehead protector on a headband around her forehead, like most Shinobi. Her base outfit was skin tight black spandex as a body suit that didn't cover all of her arms and legs. The black spandex stretched just below her shoulders, and not even to her knees. Over it she wore a loose fitted, blue crop tank, and two sarongs around her waste and tied to a brown utility belt carrying a variety of small weapons. She wore knee-high black boots. What caught his attention was the ANBU mask tied to her belt.

"We do." Spoke the orange-haired girl. Kakashi would have assumed the taller one to be in charge, but it didn't seem that way. "We wish to become Konoha Shinobi."

Kakashi sighed. This was a tough situation. He hadn't had to deal with transfers yet, but above that, usually none were allowed unless they were referred by a resident of Konoha. Normally it only happened when marriage was involved. He almost wanted to ask Tsunade, but she was on permanent vacation probably gambling away her savings.

However, he was Hokage now, so he needed to make the decision.

Even if he didn't want this.

"Well, we have written document from the…" Briefly looks down at the signature on the scroll. "Tanikage, stating you are given permission for transfer, so I guess it should be okay…" The brightened looks that graced their young faces lit up the room, but he wasn't going to be that gullible. "However, it will take about a month for the visas for the transfer to be accepted. I also have to send him details of the transaction of the process." He studied them as they both became more serious and nodded. "In the meantime, I will have you working with close subordinates who will be watching your every move. Just for precaution. You could be spies after all."

"We understand." Said the black haired girl, though the orange top didn't look too thrilled.

"Ibuki Mara," The black haired girl stood at attention. "You will be working with two of my ANBU, Yamato and Sai. Your codename will be Ame." She nodded. "Akashi Natsu, you will be working with my Chunin team, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto. They are both your age, so you should get along fine."

"Why Chunin? My skills are high enough to be Jounin." Natsu grumbled.

"Technically, since you transferred, I have to start you out at Genin level and test you for the higher ranks." She glared at him. "Since you were Jounin you won't have to take the actual tests, but I will have my Jounin supervise you on missions. Also, though Naruto and Sakura are both Chunin, they both exceed Jounin levels." He eyed her, daring her to protest. She huffed and looked away. _At least she knows when to stop…_ "On a more personal basis, I want to caution you both about your…" He glances down at their hands. "Relationship. I'm not opposed to it, but I don't know what the reactions of the villagers would be. We've been around for at least six generations, we can be a bit old school."

"We understand." Said Mara, taking her hand from Natsu's. The orange haired girl looked a little crushed, but composed herself professionally to keep from showing how affected she was.

"I can get you an apartment together, but you need to pay the deposit by next week. Just tell anyone who asks that you're roommates, no one should question you."

Mara bowed deeply, followed by Natsu. "Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"Don't thank me just yet." He warned. "I have to run your application through for approval, and I will be having eyes on you."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

To be continued

* * *

That's the first chapter! Actually more of a prologue. I will be uploading more today, but I want to get to a groove of uploading a week at a time. If you have any questions, let me know.

Also thank you maddy madhatter for letting me know my chapter looked all wonky.


	2. Good First Impressions

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters, however, Akashi Natsu and Ibuki Mara(my OCs) are mine.

Note: This story has homosexual and homoromantic, along with other LGBT+ relationships, as the primary focus of this story. There will be no sex, though. This will be mainly SNS(SasuNaruSasu) and OCxOC centric.

Good First Impressions

* * *

Naruto kicked at the dirt robotically as he waited for his teammates. He bid his time at the old training grounds where his team first came together. Normally Sakura wasn't late; or he could be early, he didn't know. Usually he would meet her on his way, but there were occasions like this when he was first, or sometimes he found her waiting for everyone.

It always seemed to be those two who were early.

Besides Sasuke, but he's not really apart of the team anymore. Sort of...

Naruto didn't know how to feel about Sasuke's decision to take a "journey to find himself," nor Kakashi's decision to keep him on probation. He understood that Sasuke had abandoned the village and a couple times endangered Konoha Shinobi, and assassinated Danzo, and threatened to destroy the village… But he didn't _actually_ hurt anyone, and Danzo needed to be taken out anyway. In fact, he _helped_ the village during the war and was a major player in stopping Kaguya. That should count for _something_.

Yet it wasn't like Naruto could protest. At least Sasuke was associated with the village again, and he was technically "back." Though he might not join in the missions, he was still apart of Team 7. That much was enough to satisfy Naruto from causing another riot over his beloved "best friend."

"You're earlier than usual." Naruto looked up to see Sakura smiling at him, a pleasant sight he definitely needed this early in the morning. Though, remembering her die-hard confession to Sasuke, _again_ , it was clear to him by now just where he stood with her. He was back after all, and even if that meant losing his chance with the girl he loved, Sasuke was more important than that.

"So do you know why Yamato called us out? I figured if it was a mission we would have heard about from Kakashi-sensei."

"You mean Hokage-sama?" She giggled.

Naruto scoffed. "He'll always be Kakashi-sensei to me."

She laughed. It was good to hear her laugh. "I'm not sure either why we were called out here. Yamato and Sai should be here soon, we'll find out then." She looked up just as she finished, seeing Sai and Yamato standing there. The two Chunin would have been shocked if they weren't used to the sudden appearance they often made.

"Hope you didn't wait long." Said Yamato. Sai stood there with his normal creepy smile, but no one was fazed by it. "Hokage-sama has a mission for us."

"Why didn't he tell us himself? Usually we meet in the Hokage's office for a briefing."

Yamato shrugged. "I guess he plans to do things differently."

Sakura huffed, but Naruto smirked with his trademark foxy grin. "I don't care how he does it. This way, it's a little easier." The blonde paused for a moment. "Though I didn't bring any supplies for traveling."

"We're not going anywhere." They looked at him curiously. Yamato sighed and crossed his arms, starting from the beginning. "Recently two new Kunoichi put in a request for a transfer. Hokage-sama wants us to determine if they are trustworthy or not."

Naruto didn't look very interested, but Sakura looked impressed. "I'm surprised he trusted us with this."

"According to him, their personalities would fit best with us. I'm sure it also has to do with us working together for so long, so he knows how we could handle it. He's still getting to know the ropes of running a village."

"Makes sense."

"So what exactly are we supposed to do with them?" Asked Naruto. "Are we going to test their strength or something?"

"You two will be assigned with Akashi Natsu. It's up to you how you want to go about testing her. Whether that entails training with her or just taking her out to lunch, you're basically going to gain intel and determine her true intentions." Explained Yamato.

"And the other one?" Asked Sakura.

"She was a former ANBU, so Sai and I are going to test her. Her name is Ame."

"When are we going to meet them?"

"I wanted to brief you two before we headed up to the Hokage's office. We'll be meeting them there."

Sakura and Naruto looked at each other. Why couldn't they have met there in the _first_ place?

* * *

"So, are you nervous?"

Natsu looked over at the black haired girl and sighed. The two were standing in a corner in the Hokage's office, waiting for their new teams to arrive. The Hokage was nowhere to be seen, though a small pug sat in the seat of the office chair, making them a little nervous. "Yeah, I'm not good with people."

Mara smiled sweetly to the shorter girl, standing close enough where they were touching arms. The physical contact helped to calm the orange-haired girl down. "You're fine with people. You just have a bit of a temper."

"Yeah, hence why I'm not good with people." Natsu rolled her eyes. "I think the hardest part will be remembering to call you Ame. Why do you even _need_ a code name?"

"Normally ANBU don't have social ties, and they don't have birth names, only code names. It also helps in keeping our identity secret, even to our teammates. In the event an enemy gets a hold of one of our squad members, they can't give out names they don't know."

"Why don't normal Shinobi do that?"

"We have specific missions that are more about stealth and assassination than what other ranking Shinobi have."

Natsu shrugged. "Whatever." She leaned her head on Mara's shoulder.

Mara shrugged her off. "We got eyes on us…" She whispered, nodding towards the dog.

Natsu scoffed. "What's a dog going to say?"

"Just be careful, remember? Hokage-sama told us not to be obvious, and we don't want a repeat of Tanigakure. I'd rather not have to switch villages again."

"We could always run away together, become missing-nin." Grinned Natsu.

"Villages supply missions, missions are how we get paid. I'd rather have a stable job instead of always looking for work. And I really don't want village shinobi hunting us."

"You're no fun." Pouted Natsu.

Their conversation was cut short when the door opened and loud chatter came through. "Oi! Kakashi-sensei! Where are these new ninja I heard about?" He paused, seeing the nindog in the Hokage's chair. "What the?"

Pakkun jumped onto the table. " _Hokage-sama_ is out, you'll have to wait. As for the ninja he wanted to introduce…" He looked to his left.

Naruto and the rest of Team 7 followed his gaze to the ninja standing in the corner. Naruto laughed nervously, blushing slightly when he noticed how pretty the two were.

Yamato took the lead. "It's nice to meet you two. I'm Yamato, current leader of Team 7. This is Sai, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto."

The orange haired girl blushed slightly, but looked away before they could follow her gaze. Mara didn't seem to notice her partner's reaction. "I'm Ame, and this is my comrade Akashi Natsu." She bowed. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"So why'd you transfer?" Asked Naruto suddenly. Sakura looked like she wanted to hit him, and before either girl could cough up an excuse, Sai jumped in.

"I'm pretty sure that's classified information, Dickless."

Naruto's face flushed beat red as the two girls giggled and he turned his anger onto his comrade. "Why you…!"

"Stop making a scene, Naruto." Said Sakura, smacking him over the head.

"But he started it!"

"Quit acting like a child and ignore him!"

Naruto scowled. "Yeah, like you ignore it when he calls you ugly…"

"What did you say?!"

"Ehem." Sakura froze with Naruto's collar in her grasp before she was about to hit him, Naruto already looking terrified, when Yamato loomed over them threateningly. "Neither of you are making a good first impression."

"Ah, they're always like that." The group looked up to see Kakashi sitting at his desk, watching them like they were entertainment.

"Where have you been?!" Yelled both Sakura and Naruto, frustration blowing up akin to their Genin days when he was always late.

"Ah, well, you see, I got caught up when I-"

"Lies!" They cut in before he could finish.

Both of the new Kunoichi were too impressed by his ability to sneak in to care about the two making a scene. Kakashi cleared his throat and continued where Yamato left off. "As you've been introduced, I don't need to bother with formalities. Naruto, Sakura, you two will be working with Natsu and training with her. For today, just get to know each other. I would prefer you learned how to fight together, for future reference." The two Chunin nodded, and he turned to his two ANBU. "I have a small mission for you two, and Ame will be going along. Just a hunt and capture, nothing special." He handed Yamato papers with details of the mission. "I leave you in charge, Yamato."

Yamato looked over the paperwork and nodded, turning to his team. "Looks like we'll be splitting up from here."

Natsu pouted, crossing her arms. "I don't see why you get to go on a mission already."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah! What she said!"

"Stop complaining already!" Yelled Sakura. Naruto cringed from her threatening glare.

Mara turned to Natsu and simply patted her on the head. "You'll get your turn." She followed Yamato and Sai as they headed out of the door, waving as she left. "And behave yourself."

Natsu sighed. Mara probably had a point.

To be continued

* * *

Welp, that's the next chapter! Again, please let me know if there are any mistakes. Thanks!


	3. Roaring Tiger

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto :( But I own Natsu and Mara/Ame

Note!: This took for-freaking-ever! So much so, I started writing other chapters lol So now I have more than enough written :) I will upload more chapters tomorrow, but not all at once.

Roaring Tiger

* * *

"I think we should start out with training."

"You always want to start out with training."

Sakura sighed as her and her two comrades, one being new as of that morning, made their way through the village after their meeting with the Hokage. She walked between them, neither really engaged in conversation nor interested in talking. She wanted to try and starts things off slow in order to get to know her new teammate, whether temporary or not. She just didn't want a repeat of last time.

"Why don't we start with trying to get to know each other?"

"I don't know, I like his idea of training." Said Natsu casually, her apathetic attitude starting to get on Sakura's nerves.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah! What she said!"

"Why do you want to train?" Sakura asked, curious because she's the first girl she met that seemed as enthusiastic about getting beat up as the rest of her guy friends.

Natsu grinned, almost rivaling Naruto's foxy smirk. "Well, Hokage-sama said you two were both Jounin level, and I want to see that for myself."

"Sounds legit to me." Grinned Naruto.

"What level are you?"

Natsu huffed. "Well, technically I have to start at the bottom, or something like that I don't understand. But back in Tanigakure, I was Jounin class." Sakura looked surprised.

"You look so young to be Jounin."

She gave her a sour look. "Age has nothing to do with it. From what I hear, you two are Jounin level, and you have to be around my age."

Sakura laughed. "Oh honey, we're seventeen."

Natsu flushed. "So am I!" They both gave her a surprised look, but Sakura more than Naruto.

"Oh! Sorry, you don't look that old…"

"Maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover!"

"Sorry, sorry. You're right, I apologize." She laughed, trying to calm the orange haired girl. Naruto looked like he didn't want to get involved. "Um, well, we know some training grounds we can use to test each other out."

"Hm, guess that works." She puffed, crossing her arms. "Lead the way then."

Sakura laughed nervously and headed towards the training grounds.

* * *

The three stood there awkwardly, not really knowing where to start. Naruto started getting impatient, and voiced his frustration.

"Why don't you take the first shot?" He asked Natsu.

"Whatever." She said, immediately pulling out a kunai and aiming for his face. He barely dodged it with a scratch. She smirked.

He smirked back, making familiar hand seals. "Kagebushin no jutsu!"

Natsu found herself surrounded by Narutos, and though she was shocked at first, she quickly jumped into the fray and began fighting Taijutsu.

"She's not half bad." Commented Sakura. She grinned, running forward and throwing a deadly punch at the orange haired girl.

Natsu dodge, Sakura hitting the ground and destroying the terrain. Their eyes met, and Natsu knew a hit like that could be too serious for her health.

Natsu summersaulted back and away from the potential to break bones from any more hits, but was met with more Naruto clones she hadn't already smoked. "Damn, there're so many!" She yelled, punched one in the face at the same time as kicking away another. She flipped around, using the propelling of her legs to spin kick more of them away from her, making smoke. She ducked through the smoke and used the trees for cover.

"Where'd she go?"

"Keep your guard up." Sakura tensed, looking in each direction she could think of.

Natsu took a deep breath, holding up her right arm with a series of kanji characters. She bit her thumb, marking one of them in blood, the second down. She did a series of hand seals. "Ninnpo, Kappatsuna Tora no jutsu!"

Chakra erupted from around her, engulfing her and destroying the tree she was hiding in. She jumped down before they could spot her, and she crouched in front of them, growling like a wild beast.

Naruto and Sakura jumped back, unprepared for the sight before them. She was surrounded by pulsing orange chakra, similar to the Kyuubi, making them uneasy. Her features changed slightly, her eyes gold and slitted, and fangs protruding from her clenched teeth. She stood on all fours, her nails turned to sharp claws and her appearance too much like when Naruto would first get possessed with the Kyuubi's chakra.

Natsu roared, sounding like a tiger, and jumped towards Naruto with claws drawn. He dodged, jumping away as her chakra alone destroyed the ground where he stood. "Shit!"

Naruto and Sakura made their distance from her. "How the hell is she able to do that? Is she a jinnchuriki?"

"Who knows." Sakura jumped forward, holding her fist up and heading straight towards Natsu. Natsu just stood there, and Sakura threw her punch full of chakra, hitting her jaw with all the force she could.

Natsu didn't budge from her spot. Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened as Natsu turned to her with drawn claws aimed straight for her head.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura screamed as she threw up her arms just in time to take the brunt, sending her flying back and making a crater in the ground.

"Damnit!" Naruto formed another clone, making the seals and creating a spinning chakra ball made with wind to create a shuriken. He charged straight at Natsu, throwing it into her side, catching her off guard.

Natsu went flying back, crashing into a large rock and spitting out blood. Her side was torn up, leaving a gaping hole.

Naruto stared, wide eyed, then looked over at Sakura. "Sakura-chan, are you okay?"

"It's just a scratch." She said, her hands already healing the wounds. "She held back." She looked up at Natsu, who was a bleeding mess on the rock. "Naruto! What the hell?!" Sakura jumped up and ran over to her.

The chakra surrounding her was already gone, and she looked human again. Sakura ran over to start healing her, but stopped when Natsu held up her hand. "I'm okay…"

"You have a hole in your side!"

"At least I don't have to bite my thumb." She joked, choking on blood. She pulled off the gauntlet on her left arm, where another set of seals were carved. She wiped blood from her wound on it, then made a one handed seal.

Suddenly steam came from the wound, and it reformed together, closing completely before their eyes, healing faster than when Naruto gets hurt. Sakura and Naruto stared at her with wide eyes as she stood up, covered in blood but otherwise completely fine.

"Okay, you win, I lose."

They were too shocked to say anything. Natsu smirked. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost."

"I've never seen healing that fast before." Said Sakura.

"Don't worry, it's a one trick pony. I can only use it once a day, and my chakra depletes too low for me to do anything else. I only use it as a last resort or when my missions are over."

They scowled. "And that chakra?" Asked Naruto.

"It's a secret technique passed down from my family." She said, shrugging.

 _If it's a clan technique, why was she able to transfer to another village? Won't her family worry she'll pass on hidden secrets?_ "That's impressive. So everyone can become tigers?"

"Oh, no, that's just one of my animals."

"One of your animals?" Asked Naruto.

"I have seven. We use a technique to share chakra with summoning animals, and we're able to adapt and use it as our own, almost like we're becoming animals with strong chakra. I have seven different animals." She said, holding up her wrist to show all the characters. "Not all of them are for battle. I have a raccoon I use for espionage and thievery." She made a thoughtful expression. "Though I always seem to get hungry and eat anything I can find." She shrugged. "Some of them have funny side affects."

"Well, hope you aren't an enemy." Said Sakura.

Natsu laughed and threw her arms behind her head. "You shouldn't have to worry, I don't know if I could counter something like Naruto's wind shuriken thing. If you didn't notice, I lack speed when I use my tiger." She grinned at Naruto. "Which was an awesome technique by the way."

Naruto smirked and rubbed his nose. "Heh, thanks."

"But now I'm starving! I need something to eat!" Said Natsu, then she looked like she remembered something. "Oh! I wonder if Ma-I mean, Ame, is done with her mission!"

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other.

"We should go see if they're back!"

"Yeah, but…" Sakura didn't get to finish as Natsu turned and took off enthusiastically. She looked at Naruto. "What do you think."

Naruto folded his arms in contemplation. "Mmm, well, if she went all out, she might be a threat."

"Yeah, I could tell she pulled back right when she was about to claw my face off." She looked down. "I know she said she wasn't fast as a tiger, but it was almost like she was limiting her movements."

"Yeah, and she really had plenty of time to dodge my attack." He shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to keep a closer eye on her."

Sakura nodded. "I'll write up the report later." Naruto nodded in agreement, and they headed after the girl.

To be continued

* * *

Yay! I know this isn't a long chapter, and the fighting might be bland :/ But please bare with me! And R&R!

Also, Happy Pride! And congratulations to everyone who can now get married! I'm so excited for everyone! And what a great way to celebrate than LGBT+ stories! :D I hope you all have a great day!


	4. Brighter Than The Sun

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto :( But I do own Natsu and Ma-I mean Ame lol

Note: Guess I got too impatient to update lol

Brighter Than The Sun

* * *

"Ame! Over here!" Natsu waved enthusiastically to her comrade as her and her ANBU team entered the village gate. Naruto and Sakura stood behind her, still trying to figure her out. Natsu seemed oblivious.

Mara smiled pleasantly as they walked up. Yamato and Sai were giving her the same looks Naruto and Sakura were giving Natsu. "You look like you had fun."

"Yeah, Naruto and Sakura beat the crap out of me." She laughed. Though, Naruto and Sakura weren't exactly unscathed. "How was the mission?" She asked, looking over at Yamato holding an unconscious ninja over his shoulder. "Successful?"

"Very." She smiled.

"They seem very close." Mumbled Naruto, observing them. Sakura was the only one who heard him.

"I guess they're really good friends. Like you and Sasuke-kun?"

"Hmm." He fell into deep thought.

"We're going to take this one to get questioned." Said Yamato, interrupting. The team looked at him. "I guess since we all finished early, take the rest of the day off." He nodded at them, and him and Sai took off with the unconscious shinobi.

"I say we get something to eat!" Said Natsu.

Naruto immediately lit up. "Oh! We should go to Ichiraku Ramen!"

"We always go there…" Grumbled Sakura.

"Ew, no, I hate ramen." Retorted Natsu, sticking her tongue out.

Naruto gasped like he had been stabbed in the heart. "How can someone not like _ramen_?!"

"I don't know how anyone _can_!"

"You have to try Ichiraku, it's better than any ramen out there."

"I don't care! I don't want ramen!" She said, glaring at him.

Sakura and Mara giggled. "Why don't we find a place that serves ramen and other food? I'll go to Ichiraku Ramen with you later Naruto, how about that?" Said Mara.

Naruto looked at her like she was a saint. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." Sakura giggled at how starry eyed Naruto was looking at her, but Natsu blushed and jumped between them.

"How about that food? Anyone else starving? I am." She said, trying to take over the conversation.

"Well, there's this barbeque place not far from here." Suggested Sakura. "And they serve ramen too."

"Yeah, let's go there." She said, grabbing Mara's hand and dragging her along. "Come Ma-Ame, you can sit by me."

Naruto and Sakura followed along, the former still excited about Ichiraku ramen, and the latter giving looks between Naruto and Mara.

* * *

Sasuke's gaze was far in the distance with the horizon, his perch on a tree branch giving him a sense of solace as his team relaxed below. He wasn't paying attention to the sight, as his mind filled with thoughts and worries, his poker face eluding inner turmoil.

"Sasuke! Get your ass down here, we're ready to leave!"

"Stop being so rude!"

Sasuke heard a yelp and a splash when Karin hit Suigetsu in the face. He looked down, only still half dazed, then jumped down. Juugo watched him as he gave a curt nod and started walking, knowing he was still in deep thought.

"Sasuke?" Asked Karin, heading after him. Juugo grabbed her arm and shook his head to keeping her from groping his arm. She frowned and they followed him in silence.

"I don't know why you have to be such a bitch all the time Karin, geez…" Grumbled Suigetsu, already figuring Sasuke needed space, and griped about her instead.

"Shut up asshole! I'll punch you again!"

Juugo just sighed as he followed after the two. Sasuke didn't pay any attention, but kept his sights forward as they headed towards Konoha, their mission over.

"We aren't staying in that god forsaken place for long, are we?"

"I kind of agree…" Mumbled Karin. "Maybe we can go back to Orochimaru's new hideout while we have downtime."

"Sasuke is technically apart of Konoha again, we should respect if he wants to stay." Said Juugo.

"But we're not. And Sasuke should stay with us."

"That's not up to us, freak." Suigetsu's mouth was met with another fist and splash.

"Guys, you're being annoying."

Everyone went silent when Sasuke mumbled a sentence for the first time that day. They realized he wasn't in the mood for their bickering. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

It helped him think. He needed the quiet. Also, their bickering was just a cruel reminder of what he knew he needed to not think about the rest of the way to Konoha.

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" Natsu immediately dug in to the grilled pork when it finished cooking, looking more than excited to be getting that much meat. Sakura couldn't help but stare as she scarfed down the meat almost like an animal. Even Naruto was distracted mid slurp.

"Natsu, you really need to learn table manners." Laughed Mara, gingerly eating her grilled vegetables.

"Who cares when meat?"

"That wasn't a complete sentence dear…"

"Yeah, you won't get a guy if you keep eating like that." Laughed Sakura.

"Hah!" Was all the response Natsu gave.

"So how was training?" Asked Mara, jumping in before any more awkward conversations could start.

Naruto slurped up his ramen. "Not bad. She's really good with those animal transformations. She was like an actual tiger."

"Oh, she used those? Which ones did she use besides the tiger?"

"Only the tiger. I didn't get a chance to use any others, not after Naruto pummeled me with that Wind Shuriken." Said Natsu.

"Wind Shuriken?" Asked Mara.

"It's my Wind Rasengan." Said Naruto.

"Yeah, tore a huge hole in my side!" Said Natsu, looking at Mara excitedly. "You'll have to show me how to do that!"

"I'm surprised you find getting nearly killed fun…" Mumbled Sakura.

"Yeah, she's always been like that." Said Mara. "I guess you had to use your Self Healing technique."

"Yeah, it was pretty much game over for me after that." She laughed. "I completely lost…"

"But you were still really impressive." Said Sakura. "I mean, you took my punches straight in the face, and didn't budge."

"Yeah, Sakura's punches can mess up the terrain." Mara whistled, impressed. "But when I was in tiger mode, it wasn't as effective." She turned to Naruto. "So can you use other elements with your Rasengan? Or just wind."

"Well, I can only make wind with it." He said, chuckling. Then his entire being lit up. "But my best friend Sasuke can use his fire with it, and it makes for an awesome double attack!"

"Sweet!" Said Natsu in awe.

Mara looked shocked. "You combined an attack with someone else? That must have taken forever to master."

"Nah, we just did it once during battle." He said sheepishly, scratching his head and blushing.

"You did it ONCE? And it _worked_?!" He nodded, grinning. "Wow. Usually chakra has to be in sync. You two must be really close…" She said, watching his reaction carefully.

"Me and Sasuke? Yeah, we're really close."

"Close doesn't even describe it." Giggled Sakura. "They're like brothers."

"Like brothers?" Asked Mara.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but we totally hated each other when we were kids! We were rivals. I used to hate him because he was so good at everything! I was dead last… And all the girls liked him, and he had everyone's attention on him!" He huffed, then a gentle smile appeared as he stared at his ramen. Natsu and Mara's attention was hanging on every word. "Somehow, I guess while I was trying to compete with him, I realized he was a cool guy. Then I just wanted him to acknowledge me as his equal." His smile lit up, and it was brighter than they had seen it yet. Even brighter than the sun. "And he finally did!"

Natsu smiled, blushing. "Wow…"

"He sounds great." Said Mara. "I'd love to meet him."

Naruto's light faded and he grumbled, looking away. "He's on a mission. I don't know when he's coming back."

"You miss him?"

Naruto shrugged, but the look in his eyes stated she was right.

"We both miss him." Said Sakura, sighing.

Natsu and Mara gave her a look.

"You know what we should do?" Jumped in Natsu, changing the subject. "You should show us around town."

"That sounds like a good idea." Said Mara, agreeing. "You can show us all the places you and Sasuke used to hang out. And your ramen stand."

Naruto's mood took a 180, and he smiled. "Okay!"

Mara and Natsu smirked at each other. He wasn't so hard to figure out.

To be continued

* * *

Next chapter is up, please let me know what you think!


	5. Under His Skin

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters :( But I do own Natsu and Mara/Ame

Under His Skin

* * *

"I will have the hostage interrogated within the hour."

"Good, find out why he left the village." Kakashi nodded to the two ANBU bowing before him. "Your report on Ame?"

"She's skilled." Said Yamato. Sai forfeited his normal creepy smile and became serious as well. "She didn't need instruction to get the job done. She fell into sync with us fast. It was like we had been working with her for years."

"More like she worked with us." Said Sai. "I felt no connection, but her intuition is a little scary."

"Hm." Kakashi fell into his thoughts. "Give a written, detailed report to me later. I would return to Sakura and Naruto. If Ame is that dangerous, I don't know how they would fair with Natsu."

"I can accomplish that, Hokage-sama." Said Sai, standing. "I'm around their age, and apart of team 7. Hanging around them and keeping an eye on them won't be hard for me."

Kakashi sighed. "I'm glad you have confidence." He looked up. "Speaking of team 7 members…"

Everyone looked back when they heard the door open, seeing Sasuke step in. Everyone became serious, most of them glaring, Sai the only one with a blank look.

Sasuke was unfazed. "I'm here to give my report."

"Good, just in time for another mission." Said Kakashi, walking over to his desk and grabbing a scroll without looking. He tossed it to Sasuke. "You can leave the report."

Sasuke caught the scroll and stuffed it into his sash, then pulled out another scroll and tossed it to Kakashi, who caught it without looking. He bowed politely, almost solemnly, then left without another word.

"If it would be okay with Hokage-sama, I'll head over to where Naruto and Sakura are…" Said Sai.

"Very well." Sai bowed and left.

* * *

Sasuke was almost out of the village gate where his team waited for them when Sai caught up. "Sasuke-san, please wait."

Sasuke stopped, looking at Sai just as blankly as the ANBU usually did. "What?"

"Don't you think you should stop and say something to Naruto?"

Sasuke scowled. "That's not any of your business."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't care what you think or how it would affect you; but Naruto sees you as an important friend, and he would be sad if you stopped by without saying anything."

"Then he doesn't need to know I stopped by."

"The longer you go without seeing him, the sadder he will get." Sasuke just glared at him, then turned to leave. "There are ninja they're assigned to watch from another village." Sasuke stopped. "They transferred here yesterday. We don't know if they could be enemies."

"I don't know why that would concern me."

"Don't you want to be sure they aren't spies?"

"That's not my mission."

"Your team should always be your first priority. That was what I was taught in ANBU."

"You didn't even know your team."

"The more reason for you to be more invested."

Sasuke looked at him, trying to read him. He sighed, realizing he had just lost.

"Sasuke?" Naruto had spotted him. Why he was anywhere near the entrance, he had no idea. He turned to the blonde. "Sasuke!" Naruto ran up to him, grinning like an idiot, followed by Sakura and two other girls.

They must be the Shinobi Sai was talking about. "Naruto."

"What are you doing back?" The blonde asked excitedly. "I hadn't seen you in weeks, I thought you were coming and going with missions without saying anything."

"I was."

Naruto tried to cover the hurt with a dumb look. "You could have stopped by. You're still apart of team 7."

Sasuke didn't know what to say, so he just looked down.

"I'm glad to see you, Sasuke-kun." Said Sakura, walking up. She blushed, smiling at him.

Natsu and Mara were watching from the sidelines, taking everything in. "So you're Sasuke, huh?"

Sasuke turned to the two kunoichi, looking at the black haired girl with the pleasant smile. He narrowed his eyes.

The orange haired one had a mischievous grin on her face. He didn't like that either. "Who are you?"

"Oh, these are Nastu and Ame." Said Sakura, jumping in. "They just transferred from Tanigakure."

"Why?" He questioned, eyeing them.

Natsu glared back, feeling challenged. "None of your business."

Mara jumped forward, feeling the tension. "What Natsu means is Hokage-sama knows and said we are allowed to keep it confidential for the time being." She gave a very uneasy smile, trying to bring down the tension. Natsu looked away, turmoil etching her features. Mara turned back to Sasuke with a pleasant smile. "Sakura, Sai, and Naruto are actually here to make sure our intentions are pure. I'm sure, being a part of their team, you can trust them."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. That wasn't a bad tactic to use. He needed to keep an eye on her.

"Sasuke, you should join us." Said Naruto, jumping in. "We're showing them around the city. It would be nostalgic."

Sasuke turned to Naruto, his features immediately going soft. "I have another mission."

Naruto frowned. "Already? Didn't you just get here?"

"Kakashi-sensei is keeping me busy." Naruto didn't look happy, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm sure you can stay for a little bit." Said Sakura, placing a hand gingerly on his shoulder.

He pulled away, but not as forceful as he used to. "I really should go."

Mara was absorbed in what she was watching exchanged, and elbowed Natsu to get her attention, whispering something in her ear. Natsu's eyes widened, and they continued to stare at the three of them with full attention.

Sai watched everything from the outside, collecting his thoughts.

"God, I'm bored!" Natsu stretched, her obnoxious yawning getting on some of their nerves as she suddenly squeezed between team 7. Sakura and Naruto just gave her a shocked look when she suddenly grabbed onto Naruto's arm and giggled extremely girly. "We should get back to showing us around the village, Naruto- _kun_."

Sasuke's eye twitched. Mara was the only one looking at him to notice.

Naruto looked at Natsu completely confused, and Sakura was too shocked to say anything. Sasuke just stood there, trying to figure out what just happened as the orange haired girl suddenly glanced back at him with a smirk. "If pretty-boy here needs to leave, just let him. I'd rather hang with you."

No one saw the heated glare for a split second except the two ANBU.

"I guess I'll be going then." Sasuke said curtly, twitching.

"Wha, okay…" Mumbled Naruto, still completely confused at what just happened and why Natsu was hanging on him. She squished her boobs into his shoulder, and he was suddenly not thinking about anything else. "Uh, yea, see ya Sasuke!" He said with a sheepish grin and a blush.

Sakura had no idea what the girl was trying to do.

Sasuke went completely blank. He didn't even nod as he turned around abruptly and left without another word.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura stood there helplessly, watching him go.

"Naruto-kun, you should show me the Hokage monument!" She shouted, loud enough for Sasuke to hear her.

Sasuke walked faster, passing his team at the gates. "Sasuke?"

"We're leaving."

Team Taka just looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. What got under his skin?

To be continued

* * *

Yay! Hope you guys liked it! Please R&R


	6. Not Interested

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, it wouldn't have ended up the trainwreck that it did...

Not Interested

* * *

"What exactly just happened?" Sai looked over at Mara, who was giggling to herself as they watched the exchange with team 7 and Natsu from a short distance.

"Let's just say Sasuke isn't going to skip out on checking in with his team anymore." Mara said, chuckling.

"I don't understand."

Mara patted him on the shoulder. "Just observe, you'll get it." Mara followed after her teammate and Naruto. Sai walked up to Sakura as she stood there looking deep in thought.

"Do you know what just happened?" He asked her.

"I don't know." Said Sakura, pondering. "It looks like Natsu might have a thing for Naruto."

For some reason, that didn't seem to make sense to him, but he kept his mouth shut, because what did he know about relationships anyway?

* * *

After about a short distance, and Natsu looking back to make sure Sasuke was out of sight, she quickly pulled away from a very confused Naruto. "So, that was Sasuke." She said, eyeing him. They kept walking, and she made sure Sakura and Sai were out of earshot.

"Uh, yeah…" Naruto had no idea why she just let go, or why she brought up Sasuke. He eyed her. Was she going to ask him questions because she liked him? "Yeah, that was Sasuke. He's kind of a womanizer, though." He said, pouting.

She looked at him confused, then laughed. "Oh, sorry, no I'm not interested in him if that's what you think."

"You aren't? Then why do you care?"

"Well, I was just observing how much you two seem to get along." She said, smiling.

Her observation went completely over his head as he smiled. "Oh! We get along great! We're best friends."

"I can see that. You seemed really bummed when he had to leave."

"Yeah, he does that a lot…" He said, looking down. He shoved his hands in his pockets, kicking the stones as they walked.

"Why doesn't he stay?"

"I don't know. Kakashi-sensei gives him mission after mission outside the village, and for long periods of time. I feel like he doesn't want him to stay."

"Why doesn't Sasuke say anything about it?"

"I don't know, probably because he doesn't want to stay…" Natsu went silent. The two didn't say anymore as they walked side by side with their friends trailing behind.

* * *

Night had begun to fall after a few short hours of showing the two new shinobi around the village, and they finally ended up outside the Hokage's office so Sakura could give her report.

"This was fun, what are we doing tomorrow?" Asked Natsu, smiling up at Naruto.

He gave a sheepish grin, scratching his head. "More training? I want to see what other animals you have."

"Okay! And maybe some one-on-one too?" She asked excitedly.

"I'll just watch from the sidelines." Said Mara, laughing at the two.

"I wouldn't mind giving it a go." Said Sakura, flexing her muscles as she came out of the office.

"We should do it tournament style!" Said Natsu. "And the one who wins gets the title of best shinobi in Konoha!"

Naruto grinned excitedly. "You're on!"

"But there are five of us, we should start with an even number." Said Sakura.

"I can be the referee." Said Mara.

"What, don't like fighting?"

"I don't like getting my hands dirty if I don't have to." She said, smiling sweetly to them. A shiver went up Sakura's spine.

"She only really knows killing moves." Said Natsu. "Being in ANBU and all."

"Is that the case with you too, Sai?" Asked Sakura.

Sai just smiled. "I was taught many different styles from when I was a young age, so no."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?!" Growled Natsu.

Mara stepping in and pulled her back. "You don't need to get offended for me Natsu. And it doesn't bother me, he was just stating fact."

"Why are you so wishy-washy?"

"I'm just patient." She smiled. "Besides, shouldn't we be getting back to our hotel?" She said, giving Natsu a look.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Yes, yes we should." She bowed to them. "Thanks for everything, see you tomorrow." She waved, grabbing Mara's hand and taking off suddenly.

Everyone looked at each other suspiciously. "That was weird." Said Sakura. "I mean, they have always been weird, but that was suspicious."

"Do you think they may be planning something?" Asked Naruto.

"I don't know what."

Naruto thought for a moment. "She was asking weird questions about Sasuke earlier."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"

"Like why he's always on missions." He purposely left out the questions about his opinions on Sasuke. "You don't think they might be after the Sharingan?"

"Could be a possibility."

"Should we follow them?" Asked Sai. They both looked at him, contemplating.

"Maybe just you." Said Sakura. "You're better at espionage. Let us know what they say." Sai nodded and disappeared.

* * *

"Hurry, I'm getting restless." Giggled Mara, pulling Natsu up the stairs and wiggling her eyebrows at her. Natsu laughed at the ridiculousness, pushing the girl into one of the corners in the stairwell and kissing her. She nibbled on her lower lip, before Mara giggled more and pulled away, continuing up the stairs.

"Stop, someone will see us." Whispered Mara, laughing into her hand.

They bumped and wavered up the stairs, stopping to kiss and grab onto each other. They made it to the fourth floor, nearly bumping into someone when they opened the door, and abruptly pulled away from each other and looked away, obviously guilty of something.

"Good day sir." The man gave the two girls a suspicious look as they pushed to one side of the wall to let him through. He continued to eye them as he passed, but soon shrugged and headed down the stairs.

When he was out of sight they looked at each other, then burst into laughter and headed to their room.

"Hurry, open the door." Said Natsu, pressing up against Mara's back and grabbing her ass as she fumbled with the door. Mara pushed her hand away, trying not to yelp and giggle loud enough for anyone to hear them.

"Hold on, I'm hurrying!" She whispered, finally able to push the door open.

As soon as they were in, Natsu slammed her up against the closed door to their hotel room and hungrily smashed her mouth onto hers. They kissed passionately, Natsu pulling at the hem of Mara's shirt, trailing her hand to cup her breast. Mara grabbed onto Natsu's leg as it clung to her hips, like she was trying to climb on and straddle her. Her lips trailed from Mara's, making her way to the nape of her neck, letting a moan escape as she took in the taste of her lover.

"So, how was your talk with Naruto?" Mara breathed out.

Natsu pulled away, staring at her. "You really know how to kill the mood."

"I'm just making small talk." Mara said innocently.

"Why would I want to talk about a _guy_ when I'm making out with my _girlfriend_?"

"I was curious…"

Natsu pulled away and sighed in frustration.

"Wait, I didn't mean to upset you." Mara grabbed onto her from behind and wrapping her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I won't ask any more."

Natsu sighed, defeated. "I was asking him about Sasuke."

Mara perked up, moving around her and flopping down on the bed. "Oo, what did he say?"

"Oh my god he's got it _bad_." Natsu rolled her eyes and plopped down beside her.

"Well, _I_ could have told you that."

"It wasn't what he _said_ as much as how he _acted_ when I asked about him."

"Yeah, I could tell by their interaction how they feel about each other." They went silent for a moment. "I wonder if they know?" Natsu shrugged. "I bet Sasuke knows." She smiled knowingly.

Natsu laughed. "Well if didn't before, I'm sure he'd figure it out after what I did."

"That was great. You should have seen him storm off in a huff after you got Naruto distracted." She giggled. "I'm surprised you did that. You totally had me fooled."

"Puh-lease! Naruto's not my type. Maybe if he grew some boobs and a vagina, I would consider."

"Oh? Would you leave me for female Naruto?"

Natsu paused, looking up in contemplation.

"Hey!" Mara laughed as she pushed her. Then she grabbed her collar and pulled her into another kiss. "We should get back to us."

Natsu grinned, sliding on top of her and pushing her onto the bed. "I thought you would never ask."

To be continued

* * *

Finally! Some action! lol I was half way through their make out session when I realized I might have gone too far explicit, and had to back peddle :/ Oh well, it probably wasn't a good scene anyway, I don't know jack about lesbian foreplay :/ Well, tell me what you guys think! I hope you liked it!

Btw I can see how many people view this. R&R please!


	7. Suspicious Conversation

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, unfortunately. If I did, it wouldn't have ended in ships...

Suspicious Conversation

* * *

Sai walked up to Sakura and Naruto as they stood by the training posts with the moon hanging in high in the sky. It was well past midnight, but that wasn't going to deter them if someone had their eyes on the Sharingan. The two looked at their pale companion, noticing the worn and slightly uneasey look on his face. That was new for them.

"What did you find?"

Sai immediately plastered on his creepy smile, more out of habit than anything else. "They actually didn't talk about anything but personal business. The only useful information I gathered is that Ame's real name is Mara."

The other two looked at each other. "So they didn't talk about Sasuke?" Asked Naruto.

"Well they did, but it was all personal opinions."

"Like what?" Asked Sakura.

"I don't think I should disclose personal conversation. Unless information is critical to the endangerment of my comrades, it should remain confidential."

Neither of them looked convinced. "What, were they talking about how they _liked_ him or something?" Asked Naruto, seeming unusually jealous. Sakura didn't seem to notice, but Sai put that information in the back of his mind for later.

"I really shouldn't be talking about it. I know women can get upset when personal conversation is shared with others without their consent."

"Yeah, but…"

Sakura sighed, cutting him off. "It's best if we drop it, Naruto. Besides, it's not the first time girls have fawned over Saskue-kun."

Naruto looked away. "Yeah, true…" He huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Sai kept his mouth shut.

"Did they say anything else?" Sai shook his head. "Then why were you gone for so long?"

"I waited till the fell asleep. I didn't want to miss any information just incase they started another conversation." They both gave him a confused look.

"So they just talked for a bit, then sat there for two hours?"

Sai started to look a little nervous again. "No, but again, I don't think that's information I should disclose."

Naruto giggled, making a mischievous look. "Maybe they were, you know…"

Sakura smacked him on the head. "Stop being a pervert!"

"Ow! It was just a joke!"

"Well, I guess we should call it a night. If they really didn't say anything suspicious, then we should leave it alone." She turned to Sai. "They didn't sense you, did they? Maybe they didn't say anything because of that?"

"I doubt it."

She shrugged. "Okay then. We trust you." She turned to Naruto, who was still rubbing his head. "Come on, idiot, let's get home."

Sai watched as the two started walking off, Naruto complaining about being hit and being called an idiot. He sighed. Tomorrow he would need to find more answers.

* * *

"Hey Naruto! Are you ready for our tournament?" Yelled Natsu as she waved to the trio of Team 7 while her and her partner walked up.

"You bet!" Naruto fist pumped in the air, looking just as excited as the little orange top.

"How exactly are we going to do this?" Asked Sakura.

"Well, why don't we start with Naruto and Natsu, since they seem the most excited." Suggested Mara.

"I agree." Said Sakura. She turned to Sai, smirking and tightening her glove. "Then it'll be our turn."

Sai didn't seem fazed, and kept with his creepy smirk.

"Alright, let's do this!" Said Natsu, standing a distance away.

Naruto crossed his arms and smirked, standing about twenty feet away from her. Sakura stood a distance between them, ready to jump in when someone needed medical attention. Mara and Sai stood next to her, watching.

Sai turned to Mara. "Could I talk with you for a moment?" He asked lowly, so Sakura couldn't hear them.

"Ready?" Sakura held her hand up to signal them.

"Um, sure." Mara smiled and followed Sai over to the shade of a tree nearby, to watch from a better distance. "What's up?"

"Go!" Naruto immediately started with his trademark kagebushin, and Natsu made quick work with her taijutsu.

"I wanted to ask you something, but I didn't think it would be appropriate around the others. And since we're going to be doing ANBU missions together, I figured we should communicate since I have no reason to get to know Natsu."

She gave him a confused look. "Okay…"

"What are you and Natsu to each other?"

Mara stared at him, shocked, then laughed. "Why? Are we that obvious?"

"To be honest, no. Yesterday you two suddenly wanted to leave together, so we became suspicious. I observed you two last night and noticed you don't act like simple comrades or friends."

Mara's face flushed red. "Wait, did you see _everything_?"

Sai could tell from past experiences he had trespassed on something private pertaining to a girl, and prepared for himself to get pummeled. "It was for reconnaissance, we were told to observe you in the event we became suspicious."

"But you _did_ see us… _doing_ stuff…?"

He hesitated, bracing himself. "Yes…"

Mara held her face, her blush running deep. "Oh boy, don't tell Natsu, she'll kill you."

Sai waited for the impact he knew was coming, but after a few moments, realized she wasn't going to hit him. "You aren't going to hit me?"

"What? Oh, no. I mean, were you watching?"

"Not really, I was mostly listening for suspicious conversation. When you two started… I stopped watching."

"Oh, that was respectful of you. Thank you." He looked nervous. "What? Do girls hit you that often?"

"Sakura does."

"Oh, well, I can't speak for Sakura, but I know some girls have tempers, but not all do. I try to look at things rationally. Natsu and I know that you three and Yamato are assigned to make sure we aren't spies. We knew that coming in. I would be suspicious too if the two foreign ninja suddenly wanted to leave for a private talk." She laughed. "I will have to be more careful next time." She looked over at Naruto and Natsu, who were still fighting, neither ready to use any special techniques yet.

Sai waited for her, hoping she would answer his initial question. She looked deep in thought, like she was mulling over what she wanted to say.

She finally sighed. "I guess I really can't hide it from you, since you saw everything. But I would appreciate it if this stays between us." He nodded. "Natsu and I are lovers. She's lesbian and I'm bisexual, and we're dating."

"Lovers? Why are you hiding it?"

She gave him an uneasy smile. "Well, I don't know if you know this, but homosexual relationships are frowned upon. How many people do you know in same-sex relationships here?"

He thought for a moment. "I see your point." He looked at her, his creepy smile long gone and his blank one replaced. He forgotten he had let it slip. It didn't seem to affect her anyway. "So would everyone look down on you if they knew?"

Mara suddenly felt comfortable around him, letting herself relax as she smiled sadly. "Actually, it's worse than you think." She looked away. "We left our village because of how bad it got. We were discriminated against. Natsu was kicked out of her family. Everyone abandoned and bullied us. No one wanted to work with us because we were "gross and disgusting." The Tanikage wasn't able to help us since he couldn't change the minds of the people. I almost think he thought we were disgusting too."

"Why? What you do in your private time shouldn't be any of their business."

"You're one of the few that think that… A lot of people think it's wrong and unnatural. That's why we haven't said anything to anybody here. We're just simple kunoichi looking for another home."

"Does the Hokage know this?"

She nodded. "He does. He also suggested we keep it quiet; for fear that the same thing would happen again. Of course, you can never be too careful, so I understand his wanting to keep an eye on us."

"I won't tell anyone." He said, plastering on his fake smile.

Mara laughed. "Why do you keep smiling like that? It looks forced."

Sai dropped it. "I was told a smile helps ease tension between people."

"Maybe, but not if it's forced." They went silent. "You know, I like your normal face. The one without the smile. You don't have to pretend to smile around me, you can just be yourself."

He looked at her, not knowing what to say. He turned to the fight before them, feeling at ease but unable to express it. "Okay."

They watched the rest of the battle in silence.

To be continued

* * *

Well, these are coming out pretty fast :) I need to get to work on my GW one...


	8. Awkward Silence

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters, but Mara and Natsu are mine.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to update -_- I've been caught up with trying to pass this stuid exam to get my license in insurance, so I've been studying. That means it'll be another minute before I update again :( Sorry.

Awkward Silence

* * *

"Man, I can't believe we lost…"

"Yeah, this doesn't look good for kunoichi…"

Mara smiled at the two sitting in front of her, the small group of them at another grill for lunch. Sakura and Natsu looked worn out, but Naruto didn't look any better. Sai had a few bruises, but otherwise didn't look like he had been in a fight. "I think you guys did really well."

Natsu perked up, smiling at the girl in front of her, then huffing mockingly as she looked at Naruto at the end of the booth. "I would have totally had you too, if you hadn't done that weird upgrade." Said Natsu.

Naruto gave a cheesy grin, scratching his cheek and blushing. "Heh, it's called Sage mode."

"Next time you should use your summons." Said Mara, smiling at Natsu.

Naruto looked at the orange top excitedly, peering passed Sakura who sat between them. Sakura looked just as interested. Sai didn't. "Oh, you can summon? What kind of animal?" Grinned Naruto.

Natsu grinned back. "Actually, I have contracts with all kinds of animals. Tigers, lions, wolves, cheetahs, raccoons." She said, counting them off on her fingers.

"Raccoons?" The blonde lifted an eyebrow, a certain red-head coming to mind.

"Of course, they're really good at thievery." She laughed. That wasn't exactly the picture he had when he thought of raccoons.

Mara turned to Sai, who had been sitting there blankly. "Those ink jutsu are unique. I had never seen an ANBU use anything other than simple assassination techniques." She said, hoping to bring him in on the conversation.

"Sai's really artistic." Said Sakura, jumping in with a smile. "You should see his paintings."

Mara smiled at the pink medic. She was trying to talk with Sai, but found it interesting Sakura jumped in. "That's really cool."

Natsu pouted at Mara's smile, leaning her cheek on her fist and looking away. "Well isn't _he_ special…"

Sakura and Naruto gave her a curious look, wondering where that could have come from. Sai had a feeling, but didn't show it.

Mara giggled. "Ah, no need to be jealous Natsu."

"Who said anything about being jealous?" She said, refusing to look at her.

Team 7 awkwardly sat between them, unsure of what just happened. Naruto and Sakura were confused more than anything, why was she acting so weird.

Was it another secret they were hiding? Was she jealous her comrade might be getting to comfortable with them as allies?

Sai knew, but he wasn't going to say it. If anything, he was drawing parallels in his mind from their interaction to how Naruto would sometimes get jealous when Sakura was nice to other guys. He looked at his two confused comrades. Could they really not see it? He sucked at understanding emotions, and even _he_ could see it.

"Hey, Sakura, Naruto!" Everyone looked up to see Shino, Kiba, and a shy Hinata behind them standing near their table as they walked into the restaurant.

Naruto lit up, waving to them, completely forgetting about the awkward transpire with Natsu. "Oi, Kiba! What are you doing here?"

"Uh, eating, like everyone else." Said the brunette, petting Akamaru beside him.

"Is that a puppy?!" Burst Natsu, standing up.

"Hey, he's not a-" Kiba was cut off as Natsu jumped over Sakura and tackled the giant dog. Akamaru let out a yelp, and started wrestling with her. "What the hell?!"

Akamaru finally pinned down the grinning Natsu, nipping at her, and she giggled, hugging him back.

Everyone stared at her in shock, since no one had ever really been so enthusiastic about Akamaru other than Kiba. But he wasn't even _that_ enthusiastic. Okay, maybe he had been when he first got him.

Mara looked at the girl nervously. "Uh, Natsu, your wolf is showing."

"Huh?" She looked up innocently.

"Who are you?" Asked Kiba, slightly incredulous but also curious because he had never seen that girl before.

"Is this a nin dog?" She asked, completely ignoring him as she ruffled Amakaru's fur. He panted in happiness.

"Uh, yeah."

"Are you an Inuzuka?" He nodded, still looking confused. She stood, looking excited. "I'm from the Akashi clan in Tanigakure."

A light flickered on in his eyes as realization hit him. "Ah?! What are you doing in Konoha?"

"You know the clan she's from, Kiba?" Asked Sakura.

"Yeah, Inuzuka and other nin animal clans descend from them."

"Akashi used to live in the area before Konoha was established." Explained Natsu. "But the main family left while some of the descended families stayed." She returned her attention to Kiba before anyone could further question her. "We should totally train together!"

Kiba looked a little nervous, but more because he didn't expect to see someone from the original clan. "Uh, sure…"

"What are you doing in our village?" Asked Shino suddenly. Hinata looked just as nervous to see the two unusual ninja, as she hid behind Shino and scooted closer to Naruto. No one noticed, of course.

Natsu scowled, folding her arms. "You don't have to get so hostile. We transferred."

Kiba looked flabbergasted. "You can do that?"

"Actually, we're here on a visa temporarily." Said Mara, jumping in. "Until the Hokage approves us, of course."

"Why did you move here?"

The two kunoichi went solemn. "It's personal."

Shino and Kiba looked suspicious.

Sakura jumped in when it got too awkward. "A-Anyway, why don't we pull a table over and you guys can join us. Hinata, you can sit next to Naruto."

Hinata went a beat red. "U-Um, okay…"

Shino and Kiba sighed. Now they _had_ to sit with them.

Mara and Natsu watched the exchange with interest as Naruto nonchalantly scooted over and Hinata nervously sat down next to him. He looked oblivious to her feelings. They brought another table over, making the waitress grumble as she took their orders, and squeezed Kiba and Shino next to Sai and Mara.

"What were your names again?" Asked Mara, trying to start up a more suitable conversation. "I'm Ame and this is my partner Natsu."

"I'm Kiba, this is Shino, and the shy one is Hinata. And this is my best friend Akamaru." He said, grinning on the end and ruffling his buddy's fur. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"How do you guys know each other? Do you often go on missions together?"

"We were rookies out of the academy together." Said Naruto.

"Oh, so you're all friends?" She asked, smiling pleasantly. Natsu was surprisingly silent.

Naruto seemed to hesitate, but Sakura jumped in for him. "Yeah, we're pretty good friends. Us and our friends Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. The nine of us were part of the rookie 9."

"Wouldn't that make you the rookie 10?" Asked Nastu. "You forgot Akamaru."

Kiba stared at Natsu, blushing slightly. No one ever recognized Akamaru as a person besides him. At least not the first time meeting him without Kiba having to vehemently correct people.

"Oh, right." Sakura just dismissed it. "We should introduce you guys to Ino and her team next."

"That would be fun!" Said Mara. She looked over at Natsu, who was leaning on her crossed arms on the table. "Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Yep." Everyone fell into awkward silence, again.

"So, um, what about your friends?" Asked Kiba, also trying to ease the conversation. "Aren't you guys sad to be leaving your friends behind?"

Mara hesitated. "They understand it's something we had to do." They looked at her curiously.

Sakura, Naruto, and Shino became even more suspicious. What exactly were they hiding? Even Hinata started to wonder about them, but she wasn't the type to judge.

Kiba felt nervous, and he didn't know why.

Sai knew.

So did Akamaru.

* * *

"Those two were interesting, don't you think?" Kiba asked as him and his team headed out from the restaurant, separating from Naruto and his team. "Especially that Natsu girl." He said, blushing slightly. Akamaru drooped his ears, but didn't say anything.

"I find them highly suspicious." Stated Shino. Kiba expected that.

"I kind of do too…" Said Hinata. Kiba _did not_ expect that.

"Is it because they won't say why they left their village? I doubt it's anything that would endanger Konoha, that's just too obvious."

"Maybe." Said Shino.

"They might not be spies or anything like that…" Started Hinata, her voice gentle but still strong. Stronger than it used to be. "But they might have been kicked out or they got in trouble for something."

Kiba fell into deep thougth, then looked at Akamaru. "What do you think?"

Akamaru paused, then barked. Kiba furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Really?"

Shino and Hinata stopped, looking at the two as they had an internal conversation with their eyes. "What's wrong? What did he say?" Asked Shino.

"He said he thinks there's nothing suspicious about them." He explained. He shrugged, taking his word for it. "If you really think that buddy then I believe you."

"How would Akamaru know by just a "feeling"?"

"You trust your bugs, so I trust my partner. Besides, Akamaru has never been wrong before and animals can tell when someone is bad or not." Shino didn't look convinced. As far as one could tell. Hinata looked a little uneasy, but didn't say anything. Kiba ignored them and turned back to Akamaru, blushing slightly. "So what do you think about that Natsu girl? She was pretty cute, right?"

"I wouldn't get attached Kiba." Shino's words were spoken on deaf ears.

Akamaru barked, making Kiba blush in embarrassment. "What do you mean I don't stand a chance?!" Shino sighed and shook his head. Hinata looked away. Akamaru barked again.

This time, though, Kiba went beat red and shocked. "Oh. _Oh_!" He turned on his heel and started walking away.

Shino and Hinata watched after him. "What did he say?" Kiba just kept walking. "Guess he's going to ignore me."

Hinata stepped away from the brooding Shino and watched as Kiba and Akamaru just left. She sighed. So she was left to deal with Shino alone this time. Though, she figured she would get Kiba to tell her what Akamaru must have said later.

* * *

To be continued

Sorry if this seems rushed or poorly written, I'm going on stress from studying, bills, and running around with my mom while she's still in town. I hope you guys like it!

Please please review, it really helped with motivating me to finish another chapter when I got a review from the wonderful hanareader! Thank you!


	9. Desired Reaction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but Mara and Natsu are mine.

Desired Reaction

* * *

Kakashi studied his former students as they stood before him that late afternoon with the report in hand. He glanced down at the scroll, then sighed and set it down. "This seems more difficult than I thought."

"Why?" Asked Sakura. What was the problem? They were writing down their suspicions and informing him. Weren't they doing their job?

Kakashi leaned back in his chair. Naruto and Sakura gave him a curious look. The blonde stood there indifferently with his hands behind his head, like he was relaxing while standing. "Well, I asked you to gather intel, but that would involve getting personal. And I told them not to reveal their personal lives. Maybe we should reevaluate the mission."

"What's so important about their personal lives that it must be kept secret?" Asked Naruto.

"You didn't go talking about the Kyuubi when you first found out, did you?"

Naruto frowned, letting his arms fall to his side. Him and Sakura became serious. "Is it something like that?"

"No." He paused. "I just don't know how people would react to them."

"I don't understand." Said Sakura, getting tired of the cryptic talk.

Kakashi hesitated, then sighed. "We just haven't had anyone in this village like… _them_. At least, not in the open."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other.

"Okay, you have to give us _something_. You want us to find out if they're possibly spies but you want them to keep quiet about something personal. Why can't you just tell us?"

"Yeah, you and Sai seem to think whatever this secret is, it's too personal to share." Grumbled Naruto.

Kakashi's visible eye widened. "How would Sai know?"

"We had him follow them when they were suspicious one night." Explained Sakura.

"Really?" He looked through the scroll. "You didn't mention that in the report."

"Because Sai insisted nothing happened, and that everything they talked about and did was personal."

"Hmm, I'll talk with him about it. For now, don't worry about finding anything suspicious. Just see if they can work with you as a team."

The two Chuunin looked at each other. "Well what do you mean…" Sakura was cut off when the door opened abruptly, and was left in shock when she turned around to see who interrupted.

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto breathed. He had just seen him the day before yesterday. What was he doing back so soon?

"That was quick." Said Kakashi, also looking surprised.

Sasuke looked at them blankly, walking passed them and setting a scroll on the desk. "You gave me a B-rank mission. Of course I'm done." He said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. I must have given you the wrong one. Let me get a better one."

"I'm staying."

Everyone looked at him. "What?"

"I'll join Naruto and Sakura's mission. Study these foreign shinobi." He turned on his heel and headed towards the door.

"Wait a minute, I didn't say…"

Sasuke cut him off with a slam of the door, leaving them in silence.

"New mission, make sure he doesn't do anything too dangerous."

* * *

"I can't believe Sasuke is staying…"

Sakura and Naruto headed out of the Hokage office in a daze, both thrilled and confused. "Why do you think he is?" Asked Sakura, looking at Naruto.

He was smiling, happy. She had never seen him this bright before. It was like he had been named Hokage with that look on his face. "Naruto?"

"Huh?" He looked at her, his eyes still shining. He gave her a foxy grin. "What's up?"

She smiled to herself, happy that he was happy. But, what were they going to do now? "Nothing." She looked away, lost in thought.

"Where do you think he went?" He asked, looking around as they left the building. It was getting dark, and during this time of year, that made it late.

"I'm not sure…" She thought for a moment, but came up blank. He didn't have a house anymore, nor the Uchiha compound. Not after the destruction when Pain showed up.

"I'll go look for him!" He said, taking off.

Sakura watched as he left, sighing to herself. She was left to walk herself home alone. Again.

* * *

It was pushing eleven when Naruto finally gave up looking for Sasuke and headed home. He didn't think the Uchiha could disappear so fast. And quite honestly, he really didn't know where to look except wondering around the village. Maybe he should have called out to him? No, that would have looked ridiculous.

Naruto sighed as he headed up the stairs to his new apartment, which looked exactly like his old one, only moved down a block. The repairs to the village were close to being finished, and he had to re-learn where everything was. It had taken him almost a day to find the new place Ichiraku Ramen had been built.

When he got to the top of the stairs he stopped, seeing a dark figure leaning against his door. His jaw slacked. "Sasuke?"

The Uchiha looked at him, his expression as blank as ever. At least it wasn't his normal heated scowl. In fact, Naruto hadn't seen that dark, angry look since they lost their arms.

"Took you long enough, dobe."

Naruto ignored the insult, walking over and stopping short of running into him. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't have a place to stay yet." He stated. The rest was implied, and Sasuke wasn't about to ask upfront.

Naruto stared at him in shock, blushing slightly. This day had been one elated surprise after another. He almost didn't know what to do with himself.

"Are we just going to stand here?"

Naruto was shook out of his stupor, and grinned. "Oh! Right!" He grabbed his keys and fumbled with the lock, still in a daze.

Sasuke gave him a curious look.

Naruto opened the door to his messy living room, and immediately shut it. "Um, hold on." He laughed nervously, pushing Sasuke away. "Stay there." He slipped through the door before Sasuke could protest, slamming it in his face on accident.

Sasuke just stood there, wondering what the hell was going on. He heard rustling and cursing through the door, and suddenly felt awkward standing there abandoned in the night, until the door finally opened to a sheepish blonde sunshine.

"Okay, you can come in." The blonde stepped aside to let his comrade in, Sasuke giving the place a once over. "Sorry for the mess, I usually don't have people over…"

The place was obviously a bachelor pad. Very plain, one couch and no wall hangings except for training scrolls. There was a lack of entertainment that usually accompanied a single person living alone, and Sasuke could only guess what he had in the fridge and cupboards. "Where am I sleeping?"

"Um, I don't have a guest room…" Naruto suddenly felt very inadequate. He was afraid if he said one wrong thing Sasuke would leave… again. "Is the couch okay? Or do you want the bed?"

"I don't want to sleep in your bed, idiot…" Sasuke walked over and sat on the couch. "Do you at least have pillows or blankets?"

"R-Right!" He darted out of the room, running into his bedroom and rummaging through his closet for clean sheets or blankets. He paused. _Why am I getting so flustered around him? I've never been like this before…_ He thought to himself. _Maybe it's because I don't want him to leave…?_ He shook his head, hating it when he started thinking too deeply on things, and grabbed a blanket and one of his spare pillows from his bed.

He tossed the two onto the couch beside Sasuke, finally getting a hold of his nerves and returning to his normal grinning magnificence. "I hope you're not hungry, because all I have is ramen."

Sasuke snorted, smirking.

Naruto took that as initiative to start up a conversation. "So why are you so interested in the mission with those two girls? This doesn't seem like your style."

"I don't trust them. Especially that orange haired girl."

"Oh, Natsu? She's cool though. I get along with her!" He said, smiling.

Sasuke glowered at a random spot on the wall. Naruto didn't notice.

"She likes training too! And she has some sick jutsu. She can link with summoned animals and use their chakra, and basically become like an animal herself. It was kinda similar to how I use Kyuubi chakra. Tomorrow we could train again, and you can get a feel for her fighting style."

"I would like that."

Naruto gave him a curious look, but Sasuke continued to glare at a wall. He continued. "Ame's not so bad, she's really nice, but I don't really know her fighting style. I know she was an ANBU back in her village. And she said she was willing to go to Ichiraku with me!" He beamed.

Sasuke ignored his enthusiasm. "Why did they transfer?"

Naruto shrugged and leaned on the wall. "No clue. Kakashi-sensei knows, but won't tell us. He said he told them to keep it personal, so they won't tell us. _And_ he said we needed to get close to them to see if they're spies are not. Kinda contradictory, if you ask me."

"Yeah." Sasuke was lost in thought.

"They have been a little suspicious, though." Sasuke looked up at him, finally interested. Naruto continued. "The other day they left us saying they needed to go suddenly, and acted like they were gonna talk about something secretive. We had Sai follow them, but Sai said they didn't talk about anything important and it was all personal, so I don't know."

"What did they talk about?"

Naruto threw his hands in the air. "I don't know! He won't tell us! Him and Kakashi are keeping some sort of secret…" He fell into his own thoughts. "He did mention it was something like how I kept secret about having the demon fox sealed in me. I wonder if maybe there's some kind of forbidden jutsu attached to them? Maybe they did something to get kicked out of their village and we're giving them refuge?"

"Hmm…"

"If you ask me, it would be easier if they just told us so we could actually do our mission properly…" Naruto grumbled as he folded his arms. "Ah, well. Maybe we'll go on a mission tomorrow. A _real_ mission. Showing them around the village is getting boring."

"You were never one for simple observation." Sasuke stated.

Naruto scoffed. "I'd rather be out in the field or training…" He paused. "Natsu's not bad. I had to go into Sage mode when I fought her today." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You would probably have fun fighting her." He looked away. Naruto sighed, figuring the conversation was over. "Well, I'm headed to bed, I guess I'll see ya in the morning." He waved, turning and heading to his room. He took one last look at Sasuke, hoping he would acknowledge him, but he was still staring at the wall in deep thought. Naruto decided to ignore it and go to bed.

* * *

Natsu did everything she could to hold in her laughter at the sight before her. She knew she had gotten to him, but she didn't realize it had been _that_ much. Seeing Sasuke glower at her as him and Naruto walked up to meet them that morning, she knew this was going to be a really good day.

"Oh, you found Sasuke-kun." Said Sakura, standing with the girls and Sai as the boys walked up. She only looked slightly surprised, since she knew they were close. Mara looked amused.

"Yeah, he didn't have anywhere to stay last night, so he crashed at my place." Naruto grinned, blushing slightly.

"Oh my god, that is _fucking_ hilarious." Said Natsu, barely holding in her giggles. This was practically the desired reaction she was wanting to get out of him.

"What? Why?" Naruto looked genuinely confused. Sasuke glared at her.

"I thought you were on a mission." Said Sai, a little confused at the attitude of the two girls, but figuring they noticed something he hadn't.

"It was a B rank." Sasuke stated, still glowering at the orange top, who was still trying to hold in her laughter. What was so funny?

"And you're not on another one?"

"I don't trust these foreign shinobi."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason you stayed." Natsu smirked and gave him a look.

"Okay Natsu, cut it out before you piss him off." Said Mara, touching the shorter girl's shoulder tenderly. She gave Sasuke an apologetic look. "She can be irritating sometimes, but she'll warm up to you. We haven't properly introduced ourselves. I'm Ame and this is Natsu." She bowed respectfully.

He continued to glower.

Naruto gave a nervous laugh, sensing the anger boiling in his best friend. "Well, we still don't have any missions, do we want to train?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea…" Mumbled Sakura, stepping closer to Sasuke to grab his shoulder, hoping it would calm him.

Sasuke brushed her off and walked over to Natsu, towering over her with a dangerous look. Natsu frowned, meeting his challenge with an equally heated look. "Naruto tells me he had to go into sage mode to fight you. I want to test those abilities."

"You're on."

"Uh, are you sure you want to do that?" Asked Mara, trying to step between them.

"What? Pretty boy wants a fight, so I'll give it to him." Natsu pushed Mara's hand away before she could gingerly touch her to calm her, and walked a good distance from them. She turned to Sasuke, folding her arms and giving him an arrogant smirk. "You wanna fight so bad? Show me what you got."

"My pleasure." He mumbled, walking away so there was at least a hundred feet between them. The other four shinobi stood between, looking nervously at them. "Move."

"I don't know, you guys aren't going to kill each other, are you?" Asked Naruto, reluctant to leave.

Sasuke scoffed.

Sakura looked too nervous to leave. "Sasuke-kun, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Get out of the way Sakura."

"If he wants to fight, let him. I'm not afraid of a challenge." Huffed Natsu.

Mara sighed and stepped out of the way. "Don't get yourself killed."

"You aren't going to stop her?" Asked Sai, also pulling back.

"Who am I to control her actions?"

He didn't know what the correct response to that was. Weren't lovers supposed to keep the others in check? Or was that just the woman's job to keep her man in check? Did the rules change when it was two women instead? He barely knew how relationships worked, let alone same sex couples. He decided to keep his mouth shut.

Naruto finally pulled him and Sakura away from the battlefield, not knowing what else to do because neither of them were going to budge unless they got their aggression out. "If anything happens, I'll jump in." He reassured her. "Just be ready to heal either one."

Sakura pouted. Why did Sasuke always have to pick fights? What did he have to prove anymore? She really didn't understand how he thought. "Okay…" She felt helpless to stop them.

"Are you two ready?" Asked Naruto. Sasuke grasped the sword hilt on his back with his only hand, and Natsu crouched like she was going to use her tiger chakra first. He sighed. They were serious. "Okay, fight!"

To be continued

* * *

I was really hoping I wouldn't have to write a fight scene, but looks like I can't get out of it :P This chap is pretty long, so I hope you guys like it! Please review!

Also, question: do you guys want me to go into Natsu and Mara's past? I'm going to have to a little concerning how I want to end this, but I don't know if you find them interesting enough as characters for me to go into detail. Let me know please!


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